Considering a Courtyard Villa
 

My wife and I will be visting in April and the Courtyard Villas seem to be a good alternative since we will only be there six months out of the year. I was wondering how people that had purchased one like or dislike them and why. Thanks for any insight you may be able to shed.

WE love our CYV. First bought a small 3br when we were snowbirds. Upon moving here full time we moved to a larger CYV(1600+sq ft) We have owned 7 other larger homes with yards and large lots. We now love the freedom from most outside work except that which we enjoy. The privacy is outstanding. The closeness of the neighbors makes it a much friendlier place(at least for us) and we know almost every family in the neighborhood.

Ive always believed that God deemed it just as virtuous to play golf(or whatever) as it is to do yardwork.

I have rented CYs a couple of time and loved it. I decided to build a larger home after hearing so many stories how people started with a smaller home and resized up 3 times. Suggest thinking ahead about becoming full time Villagers.

Some of the smaller ranch homes on the used market offer more privacy without a lot of maintenance and it actually has a small yard plus a greater value per sq ft.

We actually live on Cape Cod and I forsee us coming back there for the summers and fall since its so nice here then.

Courtyard Villa
 

Courtyard villas can be nice, however, keep in mind that you are close to neighbors on several sides so don't be surprised if you hear more than you'd care to.

We love ours and think we have more privacy than some of the "kissing lanai" designers we've been in. And cheaper to own - lower maintenance, lower utilities if the overall sq footage is less. Keep in mind there are designers smaller than the 3 bedroom CYVs, but the bonds are less in a same age villa neighborhood. We considered moving to a designer when we thought we would be full-timers, decided we would miss our privacy.

Yes, some do buy bigger if/when they become snowbirds, but many downsize as well. Some get tired of the maintenance and lack of privacy in non-CYV neighborhoods, and some downsize when they lose a spouse for maintenance or financial reasons. We think we are set for life - no more moving for us.

Downsides are the 1-1/2 car garage (some are deeper than others) in most CYVs, although there are some with 2 car garages, and the more limited space for entertaining. We can only have large crowds in good weather, but that's because we don't want to enclose our lanai as we like the outdoor feeling with the screening. Larger CYVs on corner lots or lots allowing lanai extensions aren't as limited. You'd be amazed what's in some of our backyards.

I had one and moved...1 reason is it seems most people with multiple dogs buy them so the dogs can be left outside and bark all day long...The 2nd reason is decorating...The living room , dining , kitchen, is like one long hallway and it just didn't appeal to me....

We had a designer and the neighbors were too close so we bought a villa and love the space and privacy; our villa is just about the same size as our designer home. Our next door neighbor and 3 neighbors behind do not have dogs, and it's never been an issue anyhow so we're lovin' life!

We bought a new masonry CYV in July 2011 in Tamarind Grove. It was a Woodlawn model, it's now called a Durham. It's a 2 BR model, the living room/dining room is actually 2' longer than the 3 BR model. We love our home, our last two electric bills were $97 and $107, that's pretty good. We came from Maryland and our BG&E bills in Dec/Jan there would cost us $400 a month.

We bought a Valparaiso Model in Tamarind Grove about a year ago. Plan to retire in summer of 2014. We are currently renting the villa for the high months and spending as much time as we can there for the rest of the year. We looked at all the other models and decided on the CYV because it had the best combination of privacy, ease of maintenance and value. The longest time we have been there is a month, but we found it to be more than enough room, even when we have overnight guests. We are looking forward to the day we can become full-timers. It will require some downsizing of furniture and "stuff", but I would rather downsize on my own terms rather than being forced to downsize due to health or age. Up North we have a large house and lot, and I am more than ready to give up the maintenance and headaches of a large home.

we love the privacy and the elevated, unparalleled, panoramic golf and water view. Noise from neighbors/ dogs etc. never an issue. The CBS villas are so well insulated, we save on utility bills and never had a problem with bugs.

I live in a CYV. I have never heard ANY dog(s) barking. Also, it does NOT look like a big long hallway inside. Maybe you needed some decorating advice to differentiate the rooms. (Ie:table in dining....couch in Living room,etc.)

We are having this same debate. My wife really likes the idea of the CYV because it appears to have the privacy that most smaller houses don't seem to have. But we are both bothered by the thought of barking dogs, as one person posted about. It would make sense that dog owners would be drawn to these. Any other experiences with dogs?

When we started looking for a place in TV we started looking at houses. We rented houses and villas on multiple occasions in different areas. We visited many times to get an understanding of TV. We went to many open houses. We had a large house and yard up north and didn't want to worry about maintaining a large yard. We have just enough room in our CYV. We don't hear dogs barking in our area and we have several dogs in our little neighborhood. I know that many don't care for the CYV design but it made sense for us.